Fiberglass reinforced plastic products having increased weatherability, system and method

Abstract

Climbing products containing rails decorated using veil products colored, patterned, painted or in combination with marking methods such as company names and logos and resin formulation designed to withstand exposure to UV radiation with minimal change in appearance which create specific appearances for applications, enhance weathering performance, and facilitate processing efficiency. A combination of a filler free resin and coated veil systems to create a synergistic weather resistance surface with self contained color, pattern, picture, logo or combination of said same for climbing products. A system for producing components. Various methods, system, a ladder rail.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention and preferred methods of practicing the invention are illustrated in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the pultrusion process.

FIG. 2 shows a section of a pultruded profile.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of the basic pultrusion process.

FIG. 4 shows the relative thickness of the layers of pultruded section.

FIG. 5 shows a seven layer laminate.

FIG. 6 shows through a three layer laminate.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the pultrusion piece.

FIG. 8 a shows a preform injection design.

FIG. 8 b shows a graph of the pressure in the weir versus the pressure along taper in impregnation section.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic of the controller impregnation.

FIG. 10 shows section C of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows section B of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 shows section A of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 shows a prewet station.

FIG. 14 shows a bottom view of the internal top half of the prewet station.

FIG. 15 shows a top view of the internal bottom half of the prewet station.

FIG. 16 shows a side sectional view of the pre-wet station.

FIG. 17 shows a front view of the slot where Q is greater than R.

FIG. 18 shows a front view of the slot where Q is much greater than R.

FIG. 19 shows a front view of the slot where Q equals R.

FIG. 20 is a front view of a prewet station with a variable slot version.

FIG. 21 is a side view of a prewet station with a variable slot version.

FIG. 22 is a perspective front view of a continuous former.

FIG. 23 is a perspective back view of the continuous former.

FIG. 24 is a graph of the prewet resin versus the pump capacity.

FIG. 25 shows a climbing product of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for climbing comprising: rails decorated using veil products colored, patterned or painted and having an overcoat Delta E less than or equal to 20 1,000 hours QUV, where 1000 hours QUV equals one year South Florida.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the rails include company names and logos in the veil.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein the rails have a gloss greater than 70.

4. A method for making a part comprising the steps of: forming a pultruded section having colored veil;cutting the section to form the part; andchanging the color of the veil in the section and about a minute.

5. A method for making a part comprising the steps of: forming a pultruded section having colored veil with a pultruder having different colors for the veil simultaneously; andcutting the section to form a part.

6. A method for making a part comprising the steps of: forming a pultruded section having veil with a pultruder having different colors; andcutting the section to form the part having different colors on the part.

7. The combination of a filler free resin and coated veil system to create a synergistic weather resistance surface with self contained color, pattern, picture, logo or combination of said same for climbing products.

8. A system as described in claim 7 including resins made of polyester, acrylic, epoxy, urethane, acrylate, or combinations thereof.

9. A system as described in claim 8 including veils dyed, printed, pigmented, transfer coated or combinations thereof.

10. A system as described in claim 9 wherein veil compositions are glass, polyester, paper, jute or other dispersed fiber systems.

11. A method for continuously placing specific amounts of internal structural resin into a product by balancing volume flow of input internal structural resin in an enclosed impregnation system to part size and line speed of its pultrusion manufacture process.

12. A method as described in claim 11 using an enclosure design that continuously distributes the resin in planned uniform or nonuniform volume across the width of the part to match the volume of reinforcement in the specific locations throughout the cross section of the part.

13. A method for making a part comprising the steps of: using a central reinforcement to carry structural resin and maintain distribution of structural resin through an impregnation process of material to a curing die; andforming the part.

14. A method for making a laminate comprising the steps of: using specific reinforcement systems and impregnation processes to self limit amount of structural resin introduced into the laminate during its impregnation process by using absorptivity and compression characteristics of the laminate's internal reinforcement to carry said resin through the process and transferring said resin to adjacent unwet structural layers prior to a curing process of the resin in a pultrusion manufacturing process; andforming the laminate.

15. A method as described in claim 14 including the step of insuring placement of said resin such that surface resin and any structural resins do not intermix yet co-cure to the laminate whose structural and functional properties are sufficient for use in climbing products.

16. A method for producing a part comprising the steps of: changing part color without stopping production which minimizes total raw material lost and product lost to mixed appearance during a pultrusion process; andforming the part.

17. A method as described in claim 16 wherein the changing step includes the step of changing the part color by introducing veils of differing color around the perimeter of the part.

18. A method as described in claim 17 wherein the introducing step includes the step of introducing the veils without attaching said veils to veils of the previous color in the process.

19. A method for producing a part comprising the steps of: folding veils such that crossovers between veils are located and controlled at prescribed positions on the part; andforming the part.

20. A method for producing parts comprising the steps of: continuously pultruding on separate streams of a single pultrusion machine colored parts of differing color; andforming the parts.

21. A method for producing parts comprising the steps of: continuously pultruding parts with differing colors in controlled positions around the perimeter of the parts; andforming the parts.

22. A method as described in claim 21 wherein the pultruding step includes the step of continuously pultruding parts with differing colors in controlled positions around the perimeter of the parts.

23. A system for producing components comprising: means for producing rail having a delta E less than 20 with a 60 degree gloss, as measured by a hunter gloss meter, of greater than 70 after 1000 hours of accelerated weathering in a QUV chamber using bulb A with an ASTM cycle; andmeans for cutting the rail.

24. A ladder rail comprising: a web;a first flange extending from the web; anda second flange extending from the web, the web and first and second flanges made of fiberglass and resin and together forming the rail having a delta E less than 20 with a 60 degree gloss, as measured by a hunter gloss meter, of greater than 70 after 1000 hours of accelerated weathering in a QUV chamber using bulb A with an ASTM G154 cycle 4.

25. A method for producing components comprising the steps of: producing rail having a delta E less than 20 with a 60 degree gloss, as measured by a hunter gloss meter, of greater than 70 after 1000 hours of accelerated weathering in a QUV chamber using bulb A with an ASTM G154 cycle 4; andcutting the rail.

26. A system for producing a ladder rail comprising: a pultrusion system, the pultrusion system comprising:a prewet which wets a middle mat layer with a resin and filler; andan impregnator which compresses a first veil outer layer, a second veil outer layer, a first mat layer, a second mat layer, a first roving layer and a second roving layer with the middle mat layer, and which wets only the first veil outer layer, the second veil outer layer, the first mat layer and the second mat layer with resin without filler.

27. A system as described in claim 26 wherein the resin in the prewet is the same color as the resin in the impregnator.

28. A system as described in claim 26 wherein the resin in the prewet is different color from the resin in the impregnator.

29. A system as described in claim 26 wherein the first and second outer veil layers contain all the colorant needed to color the ladder rail.

30. A system as described in claim 29 wherein the first and second outer veil layers combined with the resin without filler form a corrosion and weathering barrier such that said ladder rail maintains a delta E of less than 20 and 60 degree gloss of 60 after exposure to 1000 hours of ASTM G154 Cycle 4 irradiation in a QUV accelerated weathering machine.

31. A system as described in claim 26 wherein the first and second outer veil layers contain more than one color.

32. A system as described in claim 26 wherein the first and second outer veil layers contain pictures and printed letters or words.

33. A ladder rail comprising: a first veil layer;a first mat layer having a first color in contact with the first veil layer;a first roving layer in contact with the first mat layer;a middle mat layer in contact with the first roving layer;a second roving layer in contact with the middle mat layer and together the middle mat and first roving layer having a second color;a second mat layer having the first color in contact with the second roving layer; anda second veil layer in contact with the second mat layer.

34. A rail as described in claim 33 wherein the first mat layer, and the second mat layer having resin without filler; and the first and second roving layers and the middle mat layer having resin with filler.